Why Wouldn't You Get Married in Switzerland??

Little did I know three years ago as I attended a weekly Bachelor/Bachelorette watching girls night group that I would meet a friend, Amanda, whom I would later have the opportunity to watch walk down the aisle... Four thousand miles away in beautiful Zürich, Switzerland.

It's not a secret that Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Anyone who has been there or seen pictures can attest to the raw splendor of the snow-capped Swiss Alps, the lush green countryside and don't get me started on the crystal-clear lakes laden with swans. These reasons alone make it an easy sell for any destination wedding seekers.

However, couple that with family ties {Amanda's mothers' family is from Switzerland} and it's a no-brainer! Obviously, the question becomes why wouldn't you get married in Switzerland?!

Have you ever been to a hotel that doesn't allow cars? As in you have to park at the bottom of the mountain, hike part of the way {with luggage in hand because the path is gravel}, board a train which departs every 30-minutes to take you most of the way up and lastly hike another 15 minutes before ever checking in. No valet. No door-to-door golf carts.

Americans think this sounds crazy, right? I kept thinking as we were going up the mountain: 1) I shouldn't have packed so much 2) I'm glad I do Crossfit 3) I hope I have enough time to shower before dinner 4) Please don't make me do this in heels.

I must say this view from our room made the unexpected hike worth it! We stayed at the Uto Kulm Hotel located on the Uetliberg Mountain Top and location of the wedding reception and where the majority of the guests were also staying.
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After a quick shower {yay!} we were dressed and ready to go back down the mountain to downtown Zurich for the Rehearsal Dinner at Restaurant Orangerie Zurich. Before dinner began, Richard and I met the groom- Patrick- for the first time. As a Naval Academy grad, Patrick and his Navy buddies easily outnumbered my USAFA hubby, although that didn't stop him from saying "Sink Navy!" or "Go Air Force!" at any opportune moment.

By the end of the night, we felt like we had known this group of friends for years instead of hours!

Can you tell we were having fun?

Sadly, it took going to Switzerland to meet some great people we once unknowingly lived close to in Norfolk, Va. The best part of military life is having friends all over the world and that proves true once again!

My Groom plus the Bride & Groom! 

In true stereotypical fashion, it being the 4th of July and all, our group of loud and proud Americans {I mean they are military} decided to serenade the train passengers on our way up the mountain...

'Murica.

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We woke up Saturday morning to fog. Lots of fog. As in zero visibility. My heart immediately started aching for Amanda as I thought about her waking up on her Wedding Day in Switzerland and being literally surrounded by clouds. More like in a cloud.

I started praying the Lord would clear it up so Patrick and Amanda could have a perfect wedding day and little by little God answered! So much so, the sunset that evening was one of the prettiest I've ever seen!

"Welcome back to the Navy" smack! Gotta love military arch traditions!

After the ceremony, the guests got to go on an hour-long bus tour of Zurich before we headed back to the hotel for the reception. If you're a cheese addict like me, you would have loved what we had for hors d'oeuvres... traditional Swiss cheese fondue! I was in heaven!

Gorgeous sunset, right??

We had so much fun celebrating such a fun couple and being able to be a part of their Big Day! The dancing  lasted until 1am even after the bride and groom left. When it's 2014 and you get to do the Macarena, Electric Slide, Wobble, Cotten-eyed Joe and other old-school dances- you know it's going to be a good time!

 

 
Patrick & Amanda, the way you look at each other speaks volumes about your love and admiration for the other. It was a pleasure to be a part of your wedding!

Tschüss!

A Royal Girls Weekend in London | Red Coats, Towers & Muggles

Sunday was no exception to the picture perfect weather we enjoyed the two previous days. We knew going into the day it would be busy and full of walking (i.e. choose your shoes wisely). Out the door by slightly after 10am, Ali and I made our way to Buckingham Palace for the super touristy tradition called Changing of the Guard.

Perhaps, I naively had no idea there would be a million people there or simply the fact that we didn't plan in advance to camp-out in order to have a front row view, but either way I was overwhelmed and not in a good way.

 As we tried to cross the street toward the Palace, we heard and saw the entourage of horses and soldiers marching down the red-tinted road.  I {foolishly} asked a policeman who was wrangling spectators onto the sidewalk what exactly was going on. His response? "It's just the Changing of the Guard! I've seen it hundreds of times." Clearly he wasn't impressed either. Or perhaps he was upset that he wasn't chosen to wear the famous fluffy, black hat and participate in the parade. 

My suggestion is to either go all out and make the Changing of the Guard a priority meaning get there very early or don't bother. Either it is important enough to you to carve out the time necessary to be able to actually see it or else you're in a sea of people all holding up their cameras/phones acting like they can see it. 

Next up {and honestly, I wish we went there instead of CotG}, we ventured to the legendary Tower of London. Best known for being the home of the Crown Jewels, I was so impressed and frankly surprised at how much I liked the Tower of London even without seeing the jewels {an unfortunate consequence of having a busy day booked}. You could literally spend the entire day inside the walls exploring all the areas open to the public. 

The the 1000 year lifetime of the Tower of London, includes being a royal residence, prison, armory, treasury, menagerie, Royal Mint, public records office and, as mentioned earlier, location of the Crown Jewels. Despite its infamous reputation of torture and death, there were "only" seven executions held within the walls before WWI & WWII. However, one of most notable executions within the walls was former Queen of England and ex-wife to King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn. Outside the walls on Tower Hill was a different and much bloodier story. In a 400 year period, there were 112 executions on the Hill. Yikes!

To maximize our time at the Tower, Ali wisely suggested we take the one-hour Yeoman Warder tour offered every half hour by the legendary tour guides aka "Beefeaters." Back in the day, a Beefeater's original purpose was to guard the Tower and the English monarch. So, why are they called Beefeaters? Supposedly, it's because they were allowed to eat as much beef as they wanted at the king's table. A relatively small price for such an important job, dontcha think? 

So, what does it take to become a Beefeater? I'm glad you asked! Not just anyone can apply and get hired for such an iconic position. For starters, you must have served at least 22 honorable years in the British armed services. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a very loud voice and a witty personality to enhance the storytelling of both the Tower's history and the gruesome stories said to have taken place within its walls. Our Beefeater was fabulous and packed a lot into an hour even a few friendly jabs at Americans.

TIP: If you plan to visit the Tower of London, I would recommend purchasing your tickets online the day before to save £1.10 { hey, every little bit helps especially with the conversion rate right now!}

Once the tour was over, we quickly grabbed some fish & chips to eat on our speed-walk over London Bridge {So British right? Fish & chips AND London Bridge all in one!} to meet up for adventure #3 of the day... Harry Potter Muggle Tour! 

The only way the Muggle Tour could have been better {besides obviously meeting the trio} would have been if we actually got to dress up and walk around London in Gryffindor quidditch attire. I knew it was going to be amazing when our tour guide introduced herself as "Gretta Granger" and said she had a theatre background. She was super animated and made the two-hour tour feel like 30 minutes. Here are a few highlights! Maybe you can appreciate the locations too!?

Top Left: Entrance to the Leaky Cauldron | Bottom Left: Where Ron, Harry & Hermione use the poly juice potion in Deathly Hallows I to get infiltrate the Ministry of Magic | Right: JK's inspiration for the Durmstrang Ship which goes underwater in The Goblet of Fire

Top Left: No. 12 Grimmauld Place aka Order of the Phoenix headquarters | Top Center: J.K's inspiration for Azkaban Prison | Top Right: JK's inspiration for Knockturn Alley | Bottom: JK's inspiration for Diagon Alley

Looking back, I wish we had taken a picture with Gretta {our tour guide} and I wish we went to Platform 9 3/4. Overall though, if you're a Harry Potter fan, you'd very much enjoy the Muggle Tour!

After all that walking, Ali and I were ready to sit down and re-hydrate at one of her favorite spots on the Thames, Tattershall Castle. Can't beat the view on a beautiful London summer evening!

Despite being in London and having countless options of new and fun places to eat, the inner-American in me came out in full force demanding a burger. Germany does plenty of things right, but let me tell you... burgers are not one of them! So, when given the option to sink my teeth into my personal favorite burger, I opted for comfort food: Five Guys.

Sometimes contentment looks like a deliciously greasy cheeseburger with Cajun fries, free ketchup in a pump, 100+ choices of Coke products and ICE! Hallelujah! Five Guys for the win! 

Tschüss!

A Royal Girls Weekend in London | Progessive Picnicking

 I mean let's be honest...How could anything with beautiful scenery, cheese, fresh strawberries & raspberries, Prosecco, antipasti meat platter, chips & dips, plus festive Great Britian plates be anything but life-changing?

Picnic Spot #1: St. James's Park

St. James's Park overlooking Buckingham Palace

I literally could have spent the entire day in this one spot and been completely content. Palaces and people watching at its finest!

I'm pretty sure the English either invented or have perfected the art of picnicking. As a Londener for five years, Ali has become a picnicking pro. Naturally. She has her very English Fortnum & Mason hamper and she knows all the best spots in London to spread out the picnic quilt for a leisurely snack and some bubbly. Please note, this is not called a picnic basket! I repeat: Do not refer to this basket-esque item as anything other than a hamper or you could be tarred and feathered. Just kidding. But seriously, a "hamper" is a picnic staple which allows one to easily carry goodies to and from the proper picnic site in a dignified manner.

After a stellar start to our Progressive Picnic, we detoured en route to destination number two to a couple of Ali's favorite favourite spots in all of London: Burlington House and Fortnum & Mason {as mentioned above}.

Burlington House

As I mentioned from my post of day one in London, Ali is currently working on her PhD in British Architecture from Middlesex University. Burlington House is the focus of said thesis; therefore, this building and its past and present are near and dear to Ali's heart and world.

Built in the 17th century, Burlington House was one of several large private residence located on the formerly country street of Piccadilly. As you can probably tell, it used to be two stories and had a third floor built in the 19th century after the British government purchased the building. The main building  houses the Royal
Academy and the wings contain the five learning societies or collectively called Courtyard Societies.

Fortnum & Mason

It pains me that I never knew of this fabulous store before now! While Harrod's gets all the glory, F&M in my opinion gets the gold medal. I could spend all day {and every penny in savings} on the incredible array of beautiful tea sets, hampers {As mentioned earlier. I'm kind of obsessed! They come in all kinds of themes and sizes. Would make a great gift idea... hint, hint!} chocolates & candies, flowers, beauty products, wine, etc. Basically, if I could live here a certain week of the month, I would be in HEAVEN. I'd be willing to bet that Mr. Fortnum and Mr. Mason probably had long, happy marriages!

Back to our Progressive Picnic...

Picnic Spot #2: Primrose Hill

An amazing view of London from Primrose Hill

Something I learned on this day in particular is that 75 degrees is HOT for Londoners. Hot enough for guys to have their shirts off kind of hot. As a Georgia native, I laugh at this the way Yankees laugh at Southerners when a snow flurry shuts down our cities. Hilarious.

As you can see, it was a gorgeous blue sky/fluffy cloud kind of day which I've come to appreciate as they are few and far between in Europe. You could see for miles in every direction and pick out some of London's MVP sights.

See what I mean about shirtless guys?!

Picnic Spot #3: Kensington Palace/Gardens

Our final picnic spot of the day was at Kensington Gardens just outside Kensington Palace. Unfortunately, Kate and William never got the memo that we were in their front yard or else I'm sure they would have gladly joined us! But really, this is where they live with Prince George (obvi), Prince Harry and three other royal couples. Also, this is where Princess Diana lived until the time of her death in 1997 {cannot believe that was 17 years ago!}.

You may recall shortly after Princess Diana's death seeing images/videos of an endless sea of flowers outside the golden gates of Kensington Palace.

We tried to avoid eating everything at our first picnic spot, therefore, we ended up having quite the feast leftover at our third and final picnic spot. I'm no quitter when it comes to food {and life} ergo we managed to dominate all you see in this picture... Wonder why we weren't hungry for dinner an hour or two later?

Statue of Queen Victoria {longest reigning British monarch} outside Kensington Palace

Last but certainly not least after a day of eating and lounging while taking in the authentic side of London, it was time for some more fun. Refined fun. Insert fascinator photo shoot!

Can I please wear one every day??

I hope all this talk of picnicking will prompt you to start planning your next picnic! Perhaps while wearing a fascinator? :)

Tschüss!

A Royal Girls Weekend in London | Day One

London. A city which needs no introduction. It's hard to walk a block without stumbling upon some important building, monument, palace or museum. Rich with history and overflowing with charm, London in summertime could easily be one of the greatest cities in the world.

My trip to London began as an idea last fall after one of my best friends from growing up, Ali who currently lives in London, realized I live just across the English Channel in Germany. When Richard found out he had to go TDY to the States in June, a London girls weekend quickly developed from a good idea to reality.

Meet Ali! 

Middle School BFF/Londoner for five years/Went to that school in Georgia that barks (boooooo!)/Getting her PhD in British Architecture from Middlesex University/Engaged to an awesome British guy

We packed a TON into three and a half days and thanks to amazing weather, I have completely fallen in love with all London has to offer!

Day One

A very early Ryan Air flight from Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted provided for a full first day to explore the capital city. Although London Stansted is actually about a two hour bus ride outside of London, I would recommend using the bus vs. the train/tube as it is not only WAY less expensive (£18 round trip instead of £33 each way), but it's also much less stressful if you're like me and manage to get lost using a GPS. 

After arriving at her new apartment "flat" {a lesson in British vocabulary}, I was introduced to the English way to start the day...

My first "real" cup of English tea in a royal wedding mug! So British, I know.

A quick tube ride later and we were walking along the Thames River soaking up the vitamin D and gorgeous views of London.

St. Paul's Cathedral - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - Tower Bridge in the distance

Just around the corner was a fabulous market called Borough Market filled with various foods, flowers, fish, cheeses, meats and even some delicious sangria! I don't know if it was the fact that I was excited to speak English to the shop workers or if years of watching my Dad has finally rubbed off one me... I tried to barter with the cheese guy. Apparently, this is not appropriate, but don't you think £6 for a piece of cheese the size of my iPhone is a little ridiculous? That's almost $12. However, my embarrassment for my faux pas negotiation attempt left me £6 poorer.

After a quick burrito picnic overlooking the London Eye, we were off again toward Westminster Abbey/Big Ben/Parliament!

Sadly, we didn't make it inside Westminster Abbey, but I guess it's OK to leave a few things for our next London adventure. Side note, it is £18 for adult admission to the Abbey. Tourists like me who want to see where Kate and William and the other 15 royal weddings took place not to mention the site of every coronation since 1066 as well as dozens of kings and queens' tombs continue to pay whatever the fee.

As we made our way to Trafalgar Square, I noticed we were about to pass a street with a large gate and armored guards. After glancing up at the street sign labeled "Downing Street" I realized we had literally just stumbled upon the street where the British Prime Minister resides. 

"Number 10" as the Brits call it, is the dark brick building in the top right.

Only a block down the street was another lovely building called the Horse Guards Parade. We also got there just as the Changing of the Guard was taking place. In fact, I went up to the guard and asked if I could take a picture with him {assuming he would nod since they're not allowed to talk} instead he said no because they were changing the guard in a moment. He wasn't kidding! {And way to totally violate the no talking policy Mr. Guard} A moment later here they came... marching and then some!

Fun fact about Horse Guards Parade is that it hosted the 2012 Olympic volleyball matches!

Unfortunately, waking up at 3:30am meant crashing early, but I'd say it was a solid first day of our weekend! Stay tuned for our "Progressive Picnic" on day two of our Royal Girls Weekend! 

Tschüss!